Did Trey Radel represent Southwest Florida?

Fort Myers Congressman is delivering on messages of less spending and less government

Jun. 29, 2013

House Speaker John Boehner, left, performs a mock swearing in for Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fort Myers, right. Radel was joined by his wife, Amy Wegmann, and son, Jude, for the ceremony Thursday on Capitol Hill as the 113th Congress began. AP House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, third from left, performs a mock swearing in for Rep. Trey Radel, R-Fla., third from right, Thursday, Jan. 3, 2013, on Capitol Hill in Washington as the 113th Congress began. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen) / AP

Written by

news-press.com

Highlights

• His first bill, called Protecting Americans Abroad Act, passed Congress was signed into law. It authorizes the State Department to use the “Best-Value Contracting” award method in high-risk areas to ensure the safety of American men and women serving abroad.

• Amendment cutting $50 million from sheep program passes House. Ultimately died when farm bill died.

• Amendment requiring Secretary of State to provide reports on American’s facing military detention and their right to due process passes House and is awaiting Senate vote.

• Named vice-chairman of Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

Bills, amendments

Votes

Voted for bills that passed: 11 times Voted against bills that failed: 6 Voted against bills that passed: 2

In keeping with our commitment to review Trey Radel’s performance each quarter as The News-Press Person to Watch for 2013, we are encouraged by the U.S. congressman’s pre-election statements to control spending and hold government accountable for its actions.

Granted, the Republican’s track record after just six months will not show any country-altering legislation coming off of his desk, or significant speeches that have caused Republicans and Democrats to join hands on a new immigration bill, drastically lower the national debt or keep government officials from barging into our private lives.

But none of that would be expected in such a short time from a freshman congressman. He is, however, speaking up when he disagrees with the president and sponsoring bills he hopes will one day further protect the liberties of Americans and curb the spending habits for our government.

He criticized the government — and rightly so — when it seized the phone records of Associated Press reporters. We applaud him for asking the U.S. Attorney’s office to appoint a special council to look into the Justice Department probe of the Associated Press. As a former journalist he understands the importance of protecting our First Amendment rights and that the government has no business interfering with our ability to report the news. To that end, Radel, along with several other Republicans and Democrats, have introduced the Free Flow of Information Act of 2013, to keep federal agencies from taking the records of the media.

“It raises the bar,” Radel said.

He has continued his efforts to stay involved in the communities he represents, holding various town hall meetings, including a listening session at Hodges University with various Spanish-speaking residents. He kicked off his Gas and Groceries Initiative in May in Fort Myers, seeking to control the price of gas and the cost of food.

He remains a proponent of the Keystone Pipeline, which will allow oil to be transported into the U.S. from Canada. It is a cheaper way to import fuel, and will lead lower prices at the pump. He also remains committed to removing ethanol from gasoline, believing there is a direct correlation between ethanol production and the high prices of corn.

(Page 2 of 2)

We also hope he is not taking his less government is better government approach too far. He remains against the Common Core Standards program for schools, arguing a one-size-fits-all approach for our students will not work.

“You are starting to see teachers unions against this,” Radel said. “New Jersey is standing up and saying we can’t do this. We have a diverse population. Some kids barely speak English.”

It is the most common educational system used across the country and one supported by the Obama administration. It is also the system Lee County will begin to implement next year.

We encourage Radel to look at the merits of the program, which will challenge students to be more creative and productive in the classroom, as well as measure their progress, and also better prepare them for college and the global business market. We do not disagree with Radel’s support of a more diverse educational base, including the addition of more charter schools, but we also believe Common Core will make our students more competitive.

Radel has not been afraid to dig into the budget and find waste, even in the most unusual places. The House passed his anti-spending amendment, which eliminated $50 million in funding for the National Sheep Industry Improvement Center. Unfortunately for Radel, his amendment died when the Farm Bill failed to pass. But Radel has been assured that the funding will not be a part of future farm bills.

“I had to debate Republicans on this amendment and ranking minority leaders,” Radel said. “The will keep non-sense projects in order to win over votes.”

We support his efforts to protect the liberties of Americans through an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment, which passes the House but has not yet been voted on in the Senate, would require the Secretary of Defense to submit an annual report to Congress on U.S. citizens subject to military detention. The amendment helps insure that Americans subject to detention are awarded all the rights of due process.

Although he is against the Affordable Health Care Act, we encourage Radel to work with the state of Florida on expanding Medicaid to over 1 million uninsured Floridians. He must recognize the tremendous costs to hospitals for providing charity care to those who can’t pay and how that translates to high health premiums for those who are insured.

The next three months will bring new challenges for Radel as he and his colleagues debate a new immigration bill, which was recently passed by the Senate. Radel supports tougher border controls, but he opposes amnesty for illegal immigrants.

“I am getting into the nitty-gritty of legislation and accomplishing things,” he said.

Radel must continue to hold government accountable when it threatens our liberties. He must continue to reach out to the people of Southwest Florida, listen to their wants and needs and work on his campaign commitment to create jobs.